This invention relates to a system of components and a method of use for creating a concrete wall system.
Conventional foundations and above-ground masonry are typically built of poured concrete or stacked cinder or concrete block. These two types of construction, poured concrete and block, are used additionally for walls in commercial buildings, such as warehouses and hotels, and in residential homes. In preparing concrete walls for either foundations or structural walls, a support element is needed to retain the concrete while it hardens. The support element conventionally takes the form of wooden form boards and steel bracing to retain the concrete wall as it hardens. Additional bracing is required to hold the form boards and to align them appropriately. The form boards for holding the concrete are found in typical standard or nominal lengths and must be combined side-by-side, to achieve the desired length. While the panels (form board) on the outside can extend beyond the desired length, those form boards which retain the inner wall of the foundation need to be adjusted or fitted by cutting the form boards, so as not to interfere with adjacent walls being poured concurrently. In addition, the forms need to be removed from the site once the concrete hardens.
Cinder or concrete block hold advantages over poured concrete in that there is no need to bring forms onto the site and then remove them. However, the use of concrete or cinder blocks to form a wall is not a feasible alternative to concrete foundations where design strength or a building code is an issue. One additional shortcoming is that cinder or concrete block conventionally comes in limited fixed dimensions with no variable capability, such as cinder block is 16".times.8".times.8" and must be cut to create the foundation or wall of proper length.
It is recognized that the use of reinforcing bars or rebars within the hollows of the concrete blocks or within the foundation to which the concrete is poured does help to increase the strength of the resulting structure. However, in both instances there is a lengthy time element to position and properly secure the reinforcing bar prior to pouring the concrete or positioning the bar in the opening of the blocks, before adding concrete in the hollows of the cinder or concrete blocks.
Regardless of whether poured concrete or cinder or concrete block is used for a foundation, a footing is required below the wall. In both instances, a concrete footing needs to be prepared prior to creating the foundation wall.